By Chimezie Godfrey
The media office of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm over what it described as a coordinated attempt by anti-democratic elements to mislead Nigerians and create confusion within the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
In a statement, the Atiku Media Office dismissed as “entirely false and deliberately misleading” reports circulating on social media alleging that the former Vice President had met with ADC stakeholders and decided to “step aside and retire from active politics.”
“We wish to state, for the record, that information circulating on social media about a purported meeting of His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar, with stakeholders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in which the former Vice President allegedly decided to ‘step aside and retire from active politics,’ is entirely false and deliberately misleading,” the statement said.
The media office clarified that the Waziri Adamawa had not held any recent meeting with ADC stakeholders at the national level, noting that his only recent engagement was with party stakeholders in Adamawa State.
“The Waziri Adamawa has not in recent times held any such meeting with ADC stakeholders at the national level. The only recent engagement he had was with stakeholders of the ADC in Adamawa State last Thursday,” it added.
According to the statement, a decision as significant as exiting active politics would not be communicated through informal or unofficial channels.
“An issue as fundamental and consequential as exiting active politics cannot, and would never, be communicated through rumours, faceless sources, or third-party fabrication. Such a decision, if ever taken, would be formally conveyed through the Atiku Media Office.”
The statement further alleged that the report was part of a wider disinformation campaign.
“This latest falsehood bears all the hallmarks of a coordinated disinformation campaign designed to create confusion, dampen momentum, and mislead the Nigerian public.”
It also accused unnamed actors of sponsoring the narrative.
“Only the government and its agents could have sponsored this desperate narrative out of fear of what is coming.
“We state without equivocation that this mischief is being driven by anti-democratic elements who are deeply unsettled by the growing national consensus to rescue Nigeria from the failures of the current administration.”
The media office urged supporters and Nigerians to ignore the report.
“We therefore urge supporters of Atiku Abubakar, members of the ADC, and all well-meaning Nigerians to disregard this fake news in its entirety and remain focused on the collective effort to reclaim and rebuild our nation.”